Pot marigold (calendula): traditional uses, preparations and cautions

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Calendula officinalis, the pot marigold, is the orange-yellow daisy-like flower that opens and closes with the sun. Its petals are edible, its dried flowers make a golden infusion, and generations of herbalists have turned them into creams, oils and compresses for scratched, chapped, sun-reddened skin. Here is what the plant is, and how people actually use it at home.

A flower with a long record

• Greek and Roman writers already mention it in cooking and in cosmetics.
• It won over European gardeners around the 7th century, and its cultivation spread widely through the Middle Ages.
• In that historical herbal tradition, it was reputed to soothe insect bites and even snake bites, and was applied in cases of jaundice, conjunctivitis and fever — a reputation recorded by old herbals, not a use to copy today.
• Herbalists and apothecaries later folded it into skin and personal-care preparations, which is where most of it still ends up.

What it is credited with

• Herbalists classically reach for calendula for minor skin discomforts: small grazes, chapped lips and hands, cracked skin, nappy redness, cradle cap.
• Traditional use credits the flowers with soothing and skin-repairing qualities after sunburn, scratches and rough, weather-beaten skin.
• Naturopathy values it for calming the itch and swelling of insect bites and nettle-type welts, usually as a cream or ointment.
• Old European herbalism used the infusion as a mouth and throat rinse for soreness and irritation.
• Taken as an infusion, it has a reputation in traditional practice for supporting digestive comfort and easing the bitter-tonic side of a heavy meal.
• Women’s herbal tradition associates calendula tea with period discomfort and cycle regularity.
• Herbalists note that the essential oil is prized for its aromatic, antibacterial character in skin preparations.
• In the kitchen, the petals are the classic “poor man’s saffron”, used for colour in rice, soups and butter.

How to use it

The flowers are the only part you need. Dried heads keep their colour and their bitterness for about a year.

• Infusion to drink: pour a cup of just-boiled water over two teaspoons of dried flowers, cover, steep 10 minutes, strain. Up to two or three cups a day, spread through the day, for no longer than a fortnight at a stretch, then take a break.
• Taste note: frankly bitter and resinous. A slice of lemon, a little honey, or a pinch of dried mint makes it much easier to finish.
• Compress: make the same infusion, let it cool completely, soak a clean cloth or cotton pad and lay it on tired skin or a cleaned graze for 10 minutes. Use a freshly made batch each time and a clean pad for each eye area.
• Gargle or mouth rinse: the cooled infusion, swirled for half a minute and spat out, two or three times a day while the soreness lasts.
• Oily macerate: fill a clean jar loosely with fully dried flowers, cover with sunflower or olive oil, seal, stand on a warm windowsill for three weeks, shaking daily, then strain through muslin. Label and use within a year. This is the base for home balms.
• Ointments and creams: the simplest route is a ready-made calendula cream, dabbed on dry or irritated patches morning and evening.
• Essential oil: only ever diluted in a carrier oil — a couple of drops in a tablespoon of oil — and only on unbroken skin, for a light massage.
• In cooking: scatter fresh petals over salads, stir them into rice or scrambled eggs at the end, or dry them and crumble into bread dough.

Frequently Asked Questions

The one thing to remember: dry the flower heads well, and calendula gives you two things all year — a bitter golden infusion and an oily macerate for dry, chapped, sun-reddened skin.

Which part of the marigold do I actually use?

The flower heads, fresh or dried; the petals alone are enough for cooking. Leaves and stems are not used in herbal preparations. Pick on a dry morning when the flowers are fully open, from early summer to early autumn.

What does calendula tea taste like?

Distinctly bitter and resinous, with a faint peppery edge. Steeping it covered for about ten minutes keeps the aroma in the cup. Lemon, honey or a pinch of dried mint make it far more drinkable.

Can I use it on my children’s skin?

Calendula creams and oily macerates are the classic traditional choice for minor dry or reddened patches, including nappy redness and cradle cap. Patch-test first, and keep to unbroken skin. Drinking the infusion is not recommended under six, and the essential oil is not for babies or young children.

Is it the same plant as the orange marigolds in bedding displays?

No. The herbal plant is pot marigold, Calendula officinalis, an Asteraceae that self-seeds in ordinary free-draining soil sown from mid-spring to early summer. The French and African marigolds of bedding schemes are Tagetes, and are not used in the same way.

How long can I drink the infusion for?

Traditional practice keeps it to short courses: two or three cups a day for up to a fortnight, then a pause. It is not a drink for continuous daily use, and it is off the list during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

• Read also: how to grow marigold

This information is provided for general interest and reflects the traditional use of plants. It is not a substitute for medical advice. If you are on medication, pregnant, or in any doubt, ask a healthcare professional.